John's Blog

There were 3 homes sold in Damariscotta Maine during the 1^st quarter of the year. This sales volume was progressively higher throughout the quarter, with two homes sold in March. The March median price for real estate in Damariscotta was 370k. Homes in Damariscotta were on the market for a median of 285 days during the first quarter of 2012. With few homes sold, it is difficult to be certain of relevant trends in this small coastal Maine community.

Agents with the Herrigel Group are experts on coastal Maine homes for from southern Maine to Lincoln County. For more information on Damariscotta homes contact John Herrigel by phone at (207) 650-5383, or by email at johnherrigel@gmail.com.

Westbrook ME housing markets saw 38 single family homes and condos sell during the 1^st quarter of the 2012 year. This sales volume was 23% higher than last year during the 1^st quarter, although it was 5% lower than the 4^th quarter of 2011. Residential real estate in Westbrook sold at a median price of 177K, 8% higher than 1^st quarter of last year and 8% higher than during the previous quarter. Westbrook homes were on the market for a median of 241 days.

Westbrook is a thriving community combining both urban convenience and peaceful neighborhood atmosphere. The Herrigel Group are local real estate experts on the greater Portland area including Westbrook Maine relocation. For more information on Westbrook real estate contact John Herrigel by phone at (207) 650-5383, or by email at johnherrigel@gmail.com.

A total of 5 residential real estate sales were made in Phippsburg Maine during the 1^st quarter of 2012. The quarterly sales volume was 25% higher year over year, but 17% less than the previous quarter. Homes in the Phippsburg real estate market sold at a median price point of 388K which was down by 6% from the 1^st quarter of last year. The median number of days on the market for homes in Phippsburg ME was 181.

The weather today may be cool and rainy, but before long it will feel like beach season in coastal Maine. Herrigel Group agents are local experts on coastal and southern Maine homes for sale. For more information about real estate listings on the Maine coast contact John Herrigel directly via phone at 207-650-5383, by email at johnherrigel@gmail.com or check out the Herrigel group on Facebook.

9 Scarborough Maine homes and condos were sold during February this year. This was a 36% decrease in sales volume from last year at this time, as well as a 47% decrease from January 2012 sales. With a median price of 315K, the price of Scarborough Maine homes and condos has increased by 6% compared to Feb. 2011. The average number of days on the market for homes and condos that sold in February in Scarborough was 63 – down 30% from last year.

Spring’s warm, fresh air has arrived in Maine! If you are interested in finding a way to enjoy the outdoors while supporting a good cause check out the Friends of Scarborough Marsh – FoSM is holding a spring clean-up day on April 21^st to clear litter from area marshes and beaches.

Learn more about Real Estate in Scarborough Maine by visiting the Herrigel group on google. Contact John Herrigel directly by phone at 207-650-5383 or by email at johnherrigel@gmail.com The Herrigel Group are local real estate experts in Southern and Coastal Maine.

So.. I think this is my first post in probably 5+ years of being a member of this great community that is solely intended to provide useful information/spark a conversation without any direct benefit to my network of real estate sites :) 

What I am hear to ask/discuss is how can an agent/agency website continue to stay above the likes of larger sites such Trulia, Zillow, Realtor, Yahoo Real Estate within an age when Google continues to place greater and greater emphasis on branded/high domain authority sites?

If you are not aware of this trend.. I encourage you to read Seomoz.org, seobook.com, and Distilled.com blogs to name a few of the larger ones talking about this.

How can one compete?

I believe it is through real/legit links from a variety of different IP address and domains of all shapes and sizes. 

I am not talking about directory and link exchanges... these don't necessarily hurt, but hard to say nowadays if they really help that much anymore.

Obviously domain strength carries significant weight, but based on my own experiments and observations... I sense pure volume of links from unique domains to a wide array of internal pages aka DON"T JUST GET LINKS TO YOUR INDEX PAGE :)  coupled with on-site optimization is still the key to success.

Yes..the larger sites have thousands of unique links, but they primarily point to the index page thus creating an in balanced link profile in Google's eyes plus these larger sites often have slower page load speeds and often poor onsite optimization for their internal pages as well!



Be it paid directory links, blog entries, social media, press releases or simply natural link acquisition I still find the best way  to grow and maintain this upper edge in Google.. specifically for long tail keywords but  also for more competitive keyword phrases  is through good old fashioned relationships/links trades with like minded individuals be it a simple blog roll link, yes these still work great if done correctly, or contextual linking from pages within each others sites.

I love SEO and hope this sparks a bit of a conversation.. if not.. oh well :)

All the best from Portland Maine,

John

During January of this year, 3 homes were sold in Harpswell Maine. This is the same as the number of homes sold in January 2011, although it is lower than last the previous month’s sales volume. The median price for Harpswell homes was 348K up 45% from homes sold in Harpswell last January. Inventory is up slightly with 94 homes listed for February.

Harpswell is a friendly and community oriented coastal Maine town. Community members stand together for environmental concerns and to preserve the town’s future as a fishing community. To learn more about life in Harpswell ME and other mid-coastal communities contact John Herrigel by email at johnherrigel@gmail.com or phone 207.650.5383 or visit www.mymaineproperty.com. The Herrigel Group specializes in helping Maine home buyers through the state’s southern and mid-coastal regions.

During the month of January, 13 homes and condominiums sold in the city of South Portland Maine. This was a 43% decrease from the previous month but a 30% increase in sales volume year over year. The average number of days on the market for homes and condos in South Portland that sold in January was 134 – up from last month. The median price point was 170K, which was down slightly from the previous month.

Just minutes from Portland, South Portland is the host of events year round – including South Portland Pet Life’s Adoptable Dogs event on Feb. 25^th. South Portland is an excellent location in the Portland Maine area, with perfect home or condo choices for you and your dog. Visit the Herrigel Group on facebook to learn more about Greater Portland homes for sale or contact John Herrigel directly by phone at 207-650-5383 or by email at johnherrigel@gmail.com

With just one week left until Valentine’s Day, if you would like to do something sweet with your sweetheart, now is the time to plan ahead! There are endless great ideas for ways to celebrate the day, from elaborate dinners to a quite night at home with a good movie. Sometimes simple is best: if you are looking for something sweet try a cupcake. East End Cupcakes in Portland Maine’s East End neighborhood has a great selection of flavors from carrot cake to bacon, so even if opposites have attracted the great thing about cupcakes is that you can pick your own with no need to settle for less.

Much like cupcakes, the East End neighborhood is chocked full of real estate opportunities of a variety of “flavors.” From multi-unit Portland properties to single family homes and luxury condos, the East End may be the perfect location to start your Portland Maine home or investment property search. If you are interested in making a move this spring, I encourage you to contact the Herrigel Group at 207-650-5383 as your Portland Maine real estate experts.

Thanks for reading, and have a happy Valentine’s Day!

The town of Woolwich ME lies to the east of the city of Bath, across the Kennebec River and is sometimes considered a suburb of Bath. Woolwich is considered part of the Portland metro area, with about a 45 minute drive to the city of Portland. Woolwich is a town of a little under 3,000 residents located on Maine’s coastal route 1.

Settled in 1638, Woolwich Maine is more than just a suburban offshoot of Bath. Woolwich is 12 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, although the center of town is bordered on three sides by water. This Sagadahoc county town is located near Merrymeeting Bay, in which 5 rivers including the Kennebec join before merging with the sea. The area has a rich maritime history and is the location of many traditional businesses both related to the water as well as timber frame builders, potters, farmers, and more. Homes in this coastal Maine community have sold at an average cost of 169K during the 2011 year.

 For the fresh information about Woolwich Maine homes for sale, visit Mymaineproperty.com – the Herrigel Group are experts on southern and coastal Maine real estate. Contact John Herrigel at 207-650-5383 or by email at JohnHerrigel@gmail.com for help in your coastal Maine home search.

Homes in Maine’s beautiful Mid Coast region are as varied as the communities in which they are located. Within an hour of Maine’s largest city Portland, towns in the mid-coast region range from small and remote coastal towns like Georgetown (best known for Reid State Park) to busy villages like Freeport (best known for outlet stores).

This tourist-friendly area is also the year-round home of residents who enjoy the close relationship with the natural world that this area provides. From hiking and sailing in the summer, to snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the winter, coastal Maine is a beautiful back-drop for a rich fabric of animal life.

With a rich history since colonial times, coastal towns like Damariscotta and Boothbay currently provide modern conveniences and utilities in an old fashioned village setting.  For more detailed information about homes for sale in towns in Mid Coast Maine, check out the Herrigel Group’s Coastal Maine Real Estate page.